Five ways to increase the findability of a mobile game in the App Store
Rob Weber, Vice President and co-founder of NativeX, spoke on the pages of Games Brief about five strategies for promoting the game and increasing its findability on the App Store.
The article was written two years ago, so it seemed quite interesting to us to see exactly how the market has changed during this time, how relevant these tips are today.
Yes, at the time of writing, Rob mentioned 52 thousand games in the App Store, according to 148apps (there will be a separate material for them today), there are now 181 thousand active games in the store (it is clear that more were downloaded, but somehow only this number is downloaded).
1) Make a quality game
Every developer wants to make a cool game, but not everyone succeeds. Most mobile projects are not worth their money and have no value at all. To avoid failure, try to use proven mechanics with a new setting. And, of course, think about the quality of the project.
Editor’s note: in fact, it is always relevant to say that the product should be of high quality. Working with popular mechanics, complementing them is also an option, since a fundamentally new gameplay can easily alienate the user from the game. However, the latter is also true for the setting. An unexpected, non–standard environment is often more of a minus than a plus.
2) Find profitable distribution sources
When working with advertising networks, focus on CPI. Plan advertising campaigns designed for a short period of time. This will help to increase the rating in the App Store and maximize traffic. Promo campaigns for 4 days are the most productive. There is more traffic on weekends, so start your campaign on Thursday and get an additional 20% of traffic.
Editor’s note: it is impossible to say unequivocally what it is better to pay for, for CPC, CPI, CPD, CPA. The conversion rate, price, and counting mechanism change from grid to grid. Sometimes it is better to pay for a CPC that gives a high eCPI than for a direct CPI.
3) Use discounts
EA continues to drop game prices to $0.99. You get the opportunity to control the charts during weekends and holidays. Thus, the company captures organic traffic. Even Mark Rein from Epic used discounts to promote Infinity Blade. Instead of $5.99, the game was sold for $2.99.
It is better not to skimp on discounts, as they give additional PR. You can try to make the program paid at first, and then distribute it for free for a short time. Users are always watching for such things.
Editor’s note: such tips for the mobile market are outdated. EA only works with free-to-play projects, Infinity Blade is distributed the old-fashioned way, but it is full of IAP and, most likely, the next part will still be f2p too.
Anyway, discounts on expensive projects still work.
4) Make a deal with your telecom operator or device manufacturer
Close relationships with large companies give a fantastic head start. For example, Concrete Software “made friends” with RIM and received early versions of the first OpenGL devices from the company. The developers were the first to release an OpenGL game for BlackBerry – PBA Bowling 2. RIM promoted this project, making it one of the best–selling games for BlackBerry.
Editor’s note: in theory it sounds very tasty, but in fact it is difficult to negotiate with operators, besides signing a contract can easily limit your opportunities on other platforms. You may simply be banned from publishing the game anywhere else.
5) Get Apple interested
It’s hard to predict whether Apple will choose you to promote in the App Store or not, but if it does, then you will have a fantastic advantage. Appy Entertainment, which released Trucks and Skulls, advises releasing games ahead of key press conferences or events. If you are noticed, the project can be promoted for free in the App Store.
Editor’s note: having connections with Apple/Google is still relevant (who would doubt it).
Source: gamesbrief.com
